Tricks For Playing

Golf Long Drive Tips To Help You Become A Professional

Playing with the big boys

In many ways, professional golf has gone the way of men's tennis. Players are getting taller, more athletic, playing with better equipment and most importantly, are blasting the ball further than ever. Ever since Tiger Woods came on the scene with his long drives, having lots of clubhead speed is not a prerequisite for winning pro tournaments. In today's golf, Rory Mcilroy is continuing the big hitting trend.

Now that we know the importance of being able to hit booming drives, here are some tips that will help you get your physical game up to scratch:

Max out your equipment

Your driver is as important to your ability to hit long drives as Lewis Hamilton's car is important to him for winning races. Go to your local club-fitting center and get you shaft, loft, clubhead and ball optimized. Doing this will give you the best ball flight - meaning lots of hang time and lots of roll upon landing.

Once you the best tools for blasting the ball, it's time to start working on your body and swing.

Improve your strength

While having pectoral muscles like a bodybuilder won't help you much on the golf course, getting in the gym and building up your forearms, wrists and legs will put a few extra mph on your swing speed. You can do this either by working out in the gym or by swinging a weighted club.

Don't forget flexibility - doing yoga to increase your flexibility will enable you to coil more and release that stored energy on the downswing. Your physical goals with golf should be strength, flexibility and explosive power without adding bulk.

Learn from the long drive pros

Rather than watching professional golfers playing the U.S. Open, for example, watch golfers who hit the ball a mile for a living. You will quickly pick up some tips from the way they swing (and how high they tee the ball up) that will help you hit 300 yard-plus drives.

Let go of the "death grip"

Relaxed muscles move faster than tight ones, so understand that holding the club with "white knuckles" will reduce your clubhead speed. Lighten your grip pressure and hold the ball more in the fingers and you will crack the whip more at the bottom of the swing.